Forgotten Poisons: Fever
by LadyToxicity
Summary: The Seer, Deekin, Valen, and Nathyrra await as their saviour, Edenil, awakens from being badly poisoned. [My first ever piece of writing. Thank you for any constructive criticism! Can't wait to keep working on it]
1. Forgotten Poisons: Fever (1)

**Forgotten Poisons**

Part 1

Sweat covered her forehead, her hair a light brown tangled mess. Edenil's eyes were closed but they could all see them flickering franticly around the room from behind closed eyelids, the whites of her eyes making an appearance through small slits every few minutes.

The Seer knelt down beside her and softly applied a dampened cloth to her forehead trying to keep Edenil as comfortable as possible while they waited to see when the poison that had intoxicated her body would wear off.

"Will boss be okay, drow lady?" Deekin was fidgeting with anything he could get his littlle claws on as he sat next to Edenil on the side table, constantly asking the Seer if Edenil was going to be okay.

The Seer looked over at Deekin with hope filled eyes, "She'll wake soon enough, dear Kobold. See here?" Her hands slowly lifted one of Edenil's hands up and gently turned it over so her pulsing black veins were noticable. "You can see the poison slowly leaving her body," and with that she lay Edenil's hand back beside her shaking body.

"Aaaah! Deekin sees they less dark now. He can see normal colour veins coming back!" Deekin jumped to his feet and quickly scrambled over to his backpack where he took out his papers and quill ready to keep writing his epic novel now that he was certain his boss would be okay. Deekin was very brave for a Kobold, attempting to push Edenil out of the way as a dart flew straight toward her neck not a few hours ago. Being as little as he was he was unable to push her away in time.

"We should leave her to rest, there is not much more we can do for her," the Seer stood up and looked over at Valen and Nathyrra who were standing at the end of the bed, "and I think it would be best if you both got some rest. Today's journey must have been tiring."

Nathyrra's naturally dark complexion, the native skin colour of the drow, was covered in mud and blood, her usually bright white hair was now a murky grey. She was short and slim which made her the perfect assassin.

Valen had blood around his mouth no doubt from fighting some of their enemy drow away from Edenil as she lay on the cold floors of the Underdark unable to defend herself. For a tifeling he was very tall and strongly built from the many years he served in the Blood Wars. His rich red hair was matted with blood and gore and in between fighting the leather tie in his hair must have broken for now his hair was down and sitting just below his shoulders in clumps, his horns however were fairly clean.

Valen opened his mouth to protest. Nathyrra caught sight of him to quickly interrupt, "Yes Mother Seer, the rest would be greatly appreciated – for the *both* of us," she bowed and turned to Valen who was hesitant to leave but with a slight nudge from Nathyrra slowly followed her out of the room looking over his shoulder one last time, his tail flicking around in frustration.


	2. Forgotten Poisons: Fading (2)

**Forgotten Poisons**

Part 2

_Edenil..._

Her hearing was coming back, she was slowly gaining control over her body. The place she was in felt uncomfortably warm and something was pressing slightly on her body disabling her from moving. Edenil could hear murmuring and muttering to her right along with the all too familiar sound of her Kobold companion scribbling franticly on his papers, the sounds he was making now slowly sounding like one of the songs he had composed.

_Edenil._

Slowly she opened her eyes and waited for her vision to become clear. With a groan Edenil attempted to lift herself upright only to have her muscles give up on her, flopping back helplessly as the noises next to her ceased and she heard an all too familiar voice.

"Booooooss! You okay!" Deekin practically screeched the words as he threw himself upon her giving her a tight hug. Edenil coughed and groaned, a sharp pain running through her entire body. Deekin sensed her pain and immediately jumped off of her, "Sorry boss, Deekin is so happy you is okay! Deekin was getting worried for boss. Drow lady said you would be okay," he was jumping from side to side with glee.

Edenil went to speak but her words got caught in her dry throat. Glancing over to the water that was sitting next to where Deekin had been writing she made a small wincing sound and Deekin quickly brought her a drink. The cool water felt good against her throat and she could feel her body temperature lower slightly. A further survey of her surroundings suggested she was in Lith My'athar occupying one of their empty rooms. The dark grey walls had pillars carved into them, beautiful details made their way up the pillars and added a border to the ceiling. The bed she was in was made out of a dark, black metal, adorned with small red jewels, a red satin blanket was tucked around her tightly.

Again she tried to speak only this time words were able to be produced, "Deekin...where am I? What happened? Why do I feel so...so horrible?" Closing her eyes she took another gulp of water and waited for her companions reply.

_Where are you, Edenil? _

"Do you remember going with drow lady, goat-man, and Deekin to see Beholders?" Edenil shook her head. The last thing she remembered was arguing with Valen about her loyalty toward The Seer and the rebel alliance. "Well, Deekin tried his best to help boss, but boss be very heavy and Deekin is only small," Deekin looked at Edenil with innocent eyes oblivious to the insult he had just given her regarding her weight and continued, "Boss got hits with a dart in her neck when bad drow surprised us. Dart was full of poison and boss fell to the floor. Goat-man carried you back here and we's been waiting for you to get better."

Nodding slowly, Edenil attempted to sit up in her bed again, and with help from Deekin she was able to sit upright, elbows on her knees supporting her head. She could feel the sweat in her hair and ran her hands down her neck, following the trail of sweat down past her collarbones and assumed she was drenched in it.

_Edenil!_

"Deekin?" The Kobold was now sitting on the end of the bed looking at her intently.

"Yes boss?"

"Could you please go and tell whomever it is calling me where I am and that I'm alright?" She was slowly massaging her temples now fully aware of the beckoning she was getting from the hall outside.

"Umm...boss?" She looked up and found Deekin staring at her, his golden scaly head tilted to the side. "Deekin doesn't hear anyone calling for boss."

How could that be? Surely it was Valen or one of the male drow, perhaps even Ilmoth. The voice sounded very familiar. Edenil raised her head to stare right at Deekin, "Seriously. I'm in too much pain to play games. _Please_ at least look outside the door." The little Kobold nodded, sprung off of the bed, and exited the room.

_Edenil? Edenil?!_

Deekin walked back in to the room shaking his head. "You can't be serious!" Edenil's eyes were wide in astonishment, "I **just** heard him call my name." She slowly pushed her cover off of her body and adjusted her weight so she could get out of bed, holding onto the side table for support. Deekin rushed over, collecting one of her magical staffs along the way, and propped himself under her arm for support as well as handing her the staff so she could use it to walk forward.

_Please. If you can hear me, come find me._

"I'm coming!" Edenil shouted out as she hobbled out of the room, Deekin looked up at her with a concerned expression on his face. Exiting the room she could hear a male saying her name over and over again coming from down the hall, a hint of urgency in the low tone of his voice.

"I'm coming.." she muttered to herself as her body gave way bringing both herself and Deekin to the floor. Before she blacked out she could faintly hear her Kobold friend speak about getting help, could hear his small clawed feet scramble along the hallway floors, and the unknown voice beckoning for her once more.

_Edenil.._


	3. Forgotten Poisons: Falling (3)

**Forgotten Poisons**

**Part 3**

"Are you saying the poison in the dart was made specifically for her?" The seer spoke softly as not to attract attention from Valen or Nathyrra who were on the other side of the common room, drinking and taking.

"Yes, Seer. Upon further investigation it would seem a spell has also been cast upon either the dart, or the poison itself, either way it does not matter." Gulhrys stood closer to the Seer and, after checking if anyone nearby was watching, slowly took the dart out of his robe and waved his hand over it. A black mist started to emanate from the tip of the dart, what would only be described as silent wailing spirits could be seen floating around in the mist. He looked up to find a confused expression on the Seer's face and continued, "from what I can tell the magic placed upon this dart is somewhat demonic in nature and would more than likely be cast to instil fear upon someone...the fear being it's subjects worst nightmare."

The Seer inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes her face was composed, she exhaled and spoke softly. "How is it that the poison, or the dart, was designed for her?"

"I looked into some of the remaining poison and found traces of her essence in it. I'm willing to bet somewhere along the way she's left some blood behind, a strand of hair, perhaps even flesh.." Gulhrys trailed off, not sure whether he had offended the Seer with his in-depth descriptions, rubbing suddenly clammy hands on the vibrant purple cloak draped about his shoulders, he looked up at the Seer to see her reaction.

She smiled warmly and nodded.

"That's more than possible. Do you know how long the poison will last, or how it will affect her?"

Gulhrys shook his head, waving his hand over the dart and concealing it back in his Mage's robe. "Her temperature will come down, I have no doubt about that, but once the spell takes over who can tell what will happen." The Seer rested a delicate hand on his shoulder and thanked him for his work making sure he come to see her if he found any more information about the poison, and if there was a cure for what Edenil may shortly face.

"Yes, Mother Seer," he turned on his heels and went to make his way out of the common room when something small and fast crashed into him, pushing him off balance and surely enough, into a barrel full of water.

Laugher filled the room as Gulhrys was pulled out of the barrel, soaked from top to bottom and visibly angry. Turning toward what caused him such embarrassment he found a Kobold, Deekin, out of breath with fear stricken eyes.

The Seer quickly rushed over to Deekin and helped him up off of the floor, not noticing Nathyrra already on the other side of him also helping him up and heard a grunt to her left that could only belong to Valen. Deekin straightened up and stared at The Seer, "It's Boss! Come quick, boss needs help!"

Valen had his hand on Devil's Bane as he flew out the door, Nathyrra followed him just as quickly after a reassuring nod from The Seer.

"Come, little Kobold, show me where she is." Deekin took her hand firmly and escorted her out of the common room and down the halls to where Edenil's room was. When they finally got to where Edenil was Valen was already bending down, ready to pick her up in his arms and place her back on her bed, while Nathyrra picked up the staff and was ready to follow Valen into the room.

_Edenil?_

Deekin let go of The Seer's hand, leaving her in the doorway, and immediately took the position of sitting next to Edenil on her side table. Valen put Edenil back on the bed and tucked her in, nowhere near as well as Nathyrra had done previously, but this would do, while Nathyrra placed the staff back with Edenil's belongings and poured some water into a wash bowl anticipating the use of another cold compress.

"What happened?" Valen almost growled the words at Deekin who was looking paler than usual. Nathyrra was sitting beside Edenil checking her temperature and applying the cold compress to her forehead and hair to remove some of the sweat.

"Boss says to little Deekin that she could hear someone calling her. Deekin hears nothing and boss demands to go see man calling. We's got out the door when boss fell on Deekin and Deekin ran to get help!" Deekin's voice was once again on the boarder of screeching.

_I will find you.._

Valen relaxed, stood up straight, and turned to The Seer. She was standing there with her hands clasped together in front of her chest, the whites of her eyes completely taking over. Nathyrra barely grabbed hold of his white shirt in time as he went to walk closer to her, fully aware she was having a vision.

The room went silent. Deekin had stopped making high-pitched sounds, Nathyrra let go of Valen's shirt, and even Valen himself had decided to hold his breath not wanting to interrupt the Seer. Finally, the Seer awoke from her vision wide eyed and slightly shaking.

"Deekin," the Kobold slowly looked up into the Seer's eyes, "Did Edenil mention who was calling out to her?"

Deekin shook his head.

"Mother Seer?" Nathyrra was now standing, carefully making her way over to stand beside the leader of the rebellion. A look of concern furrowed her brow as the Seer took a step forward.

"Oh, Edenil. Your nightmare...the spell..," she trailed off, pity in her eyes.

"He's here."


	4. Forgotten Poisons: Fear (4)

**Forgotten Poisons**

**Part 4**

Edenil wasn't answering him, all he could hear was his voice bouncing off the dark grey walls and echoing down the seemingly endless hallways. The air around Locien was thick with moisture and he would not have been able to see his surroundings were it not for the lit torches on the walls. He struggled to remember how he got here but his memory seemed to be gone, the last thing he remembered was a sharp pain through his heart.

He could hear voices, lots of voices.

Locien started to walk quickly toward the conversations he was hearing, desperate to find someone, something, anything to explain where he was or what he was doing here far away from his usual surroundings of lush forest, the constant sound of a rushing stream in close proximity to him, the dirt between his toes and under his nails, and more importantly why he wasn't with _her_.

Turning down a hallway toward a large, brightly lit room, he gave a sigh of relief when he could finally start to make out the words being said by a large crowd of people. Walking closer to the room he heard laughter and the sound of music being played and when he could catch a glimpse inside the room it was full of wooden tables of all shapes and sizes, plates with food on them and pitchers full of ale.

The voices were getting louder and as he walked into the middle of the room he was surrounded by voices, singing, conversations, laughter, yet there was no source. Upon further inspection the seats were moving by themselves, the ale being poured without anyone lifting them, the instruments were making beautiful music on their own accord.

Locien's head was ringing, fear making his gut churn. He staggered backward and out into one of the other numerous hallways and started running as fast as he could to find an exit, an explaination, a reason to prove he wasn't going mad.

Two voices were slowly coming toward him though he could only hear one set of footsteps, heavily armoured. They were arguing but Locien couldn't make out any of the words being spoken, perhaps they were too far away or it was a foreign language to him. The voices came closer and he edged toward them, hiding behind a tall, grey pillar for fear of being detected.

"There is nothing any of us could have done, Valen. Those zatoasten came out from nowhere and by the time we realised what was happening it was too late." The female voice hissed and spat, clearly unhappy.

There was a low growl and Locien noticed the heavy footsteps had come to a halt. A male spoke and he sounded just as angry as the female, "We should have seen the signs. This is what happens when instead of looking to our task ahead us we talk about our pasts and get to know each other. If I had have been doing my part properly, she-"

"Valen, _vrine'winith_. Edenil will be fine."

Locien's body stiffened at the mention of her name.

Edenil.

"I know," the brooding voice replied, "Lets...not make a habit of this."

Locien's heart pounding in his chest, he slipped past where the voices were conversing and made his way around the corner and down the hall where the two voices had come from. In the distance he could hear the heavy footsteps walk away and the voices mentioned Edenil again after agreeing upon getting a drink and some rest as they had been ordered to do, but he didn't care to listen beyond that point. All he wanted to do was find Edenil.

His love.

-  
Sorry for not posting in a while! I've had a few health issues to contend with and I've been feeling sluggish this last month but I'm back and ready to keep writing! Thank you very much for the reviews so far!

**zatoasten** - bastards

**vrine'winith** - stop


	5. Forgotten Poisons: Flushed (5)

**Forgotten Poisons**

**Part 5**

_Warm arms embraced her as the summer breeze swept across her body, her long brown hair floating gently with the wind. Lips pressed against her hair and a head nuzzled into her neck, kissing her neck softly. The arms wrapped around her dropped to her stomach and rested there for a while until she was turned around. His emerald green eyes were staring at her lovingly, his mouth slowly smiling as he looked her face over and brushed a curly lock of hair behind her pointed ear._

_The breeze stopped and the air around them went still, darkness enveloping her. In the distance she could see fire spreading at a rapid pace toward where she was standing and the smell of smoke filled her nostrils. Orders were being barked from all around her and she was suddenly very aware of the sound of metal hitting metal, grunts as weapons were being swung, cries of agony._

_He appeared in front of her, shielding her, ready to attack at the threat in front of them. Black figures had surrounded them as she stood there unable to move, unable to help. He repositioned himself and swung at one of the shadows instantly making it disappear into thin air._

_Back to black except for him, he was there as beautiful as ever. His armour was splattered with blood and gore, cuts covered his face, and his hair was dripping with sweat, but he was still beautiful to her especially when he was smiling at her like that._

_All of a sudden pain struck his face. The great sword he was holding dropped to the ground a top of burnt corpses and he slunk to one knee unable to hold himself up. Blood was seeping from his mouth and his hands quickly reached up to the enchanted sword that had pierced straight through his heavy armour, straight through his heart. She couldn't move, couldn't help, could only hear the screaming in her head as she watched her lover slowly die right in front of her eyes._

_Locien's eyes rolled into the back of his head, the sword that had pierced his heart was withdrawn from his body and he slumped to the bloodied floor. With one quick swing the assailant made sure he was dead._

Edenil woke suddenly gasping for air, the images still as clear as ever in her mind. Before she could say anything there was a warm hand on her shoulder and someone was kneeling next to the bed with a glass of water in hand which was quickly placed on the floor. She was sitting upright and her hair had fallen down, covering her face. A pale hand gently moved the hair covering her left eye to one side and pushed it behind her ear as the hand that had been on her shoulder slowly moved the other half of her hair behind her back before securing it with the gold piece of ribbon she usually used to tie her hair up with.

Valen's bright cyan eyes were searching her face, unsure what to do next. They'd only known each other a short while but in that time they had gotten to know each other quite well, including the rest of their companions. Since Valen first started asking about her past he knew she was keeping something from him, from everyone, but as far as he was concerned it didn't matter. There were parts of his past he would rather not anyone know of and respected her privacy.

Though, to see the poison doing this much mental damage to her, there must be something big she was trying to bury in her past and had probably not thought of it in a while.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No," Edenil shook her head and attempted to slow her breathing. Her head was pounding.

Valen nodded, stood up, and went to the other side of the room to find a cloth for her. When he returned with a piece of white cotton material he slowly wiped tears off of her face. She didn't even know she had been crying and with that realization she couldn't hold her barriers up any longer, tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the red satin cover.

This time Valen sat on the bed next to her and settled her head on his shoulder, letting her cry until there were no more tears to be shed. Once he was sure she wasn't going to cry again he let her lie back down in the bed and went to find one of the women, namely The Seer or Nathyrra. As he went to walk off a shaky hand gripped his wrist, the unexpected touch stopping him in his tracks.

"Please don't go."

Seeing the worry on her face and urgency in her voice startled him. Since she had been in the Underdark Edenil hadn't shown sorrow as an emotion, she was always very happy and bubbly, and when she wasn't either of those she was more than likely angry.

"I, uh... yes, m'lady." He avoided eye contact as he made his way over to the seat he, Nathyrra, and Deekin had been using as they took small shifts with Edenil, not wanting to leave her alone.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Valen merely nodded and stared at the floor, adjusting Devil's Bane so he could sit comfortably, and waited for furthur instructions.

* * *

"So, this poison has brought him back?"

The Seer shook her head, "No, not entirely. As I have come to understand he has been brought back in spirit but not from any means I, or Gulhrys, understand."

"How can we be sure it's really him and not some trick?" Nathyrra stretched her legs out in front of her as she sat across from The Seer in one of the meditation rooms, the sound of the nearby fountain soothing her mind.

"We don't," The Seer's eyes rested on the small body of water next to them, unsure what to believe or how to proceed. Based on who had heard this male voice she had concluded that so far only she, and Edenil, could hear him, though he hadn't spoken for a while now. From what she could feel this man was very close to Edenil, perhaps a lover, but was torn away from her too soon.

Nathyrra sighed and bowed her head at The Seer, "Thank you for taking the time to see me, Mother Seer. I should go relieve Valen of his shift looking after Edenil," She stood and picked her swords up before heading to the door.

"Nathyrra."

"Yes, Mother Seer?"

"Be careful. I'm not sure what danger this man poses. Please be alert."

After bowing again, Nathyrra walked into the empty hallway and made her way to Edenil's room.

* * *

The hallway was empty, just as he had suspected. He closed his eyes and tried to hear for the voices she was hearing but not even he with his particular heritage could hear anything. This was more than frustrating for him. Valen wasn't one for mental games and would be more than happy to find the source of this alleged male voice and shut it up, permanently.

_Find me.._

"You can come in now!"

Valen directed a grunt at the unseeable threat and slowly edged his way into Edenil's room, making sure to keep his eyes on the floor in case she wasn't fully dressed yet.

"I can't hear any voices, Edenil, I'm sorry. This might be something you'll have to face yourself..." Valen's slightly husky voice trailed off, clearly unhappy he wouldn't be able to help fight this battle with her like he usually would with brute strength.

Edenil sighed and put her hands on her hips. She'd changed out of her sweaty, tear soaked tunic and put on half of her her brown light leather armour. At least this way she felt mildly protected against whatever, or whoever, was here for her even though she couldn't see it. After strapping up the rest of her gloves she headed for the door and picked up both of her short swords. The swords themselves were gold plated, the hilts had intricate elven carvings on them that ran down the blades, the same carvings that her clan had tattood to their body in one place or another.

"And where do you think you're going?" Valen's brows were raised and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"He keeps calling for me. I'm going to go look for him, see who he is and what he wants, and then I'm going to get rid of him so we can go back to defeating the Valsharess and breaking up her army." The only thing stopping her for leaving the room was the strong tiefling in front of her.

Valen rubbed his temples and let out a slow growl. If she was going to do this he was not going to let her go alone and risk her getting hurt again. He didn't like making mistakes twice.

"Fine," he made sure Devil's Bane was attached securely to his belt, "I'll follow your lead."

She was slightly taken back at how quick he was to help her. When they first met she was sure he hated her but as they conversed and traveled together she wasn't quite sure whether he genuinely liked her or if he was being nice because he thought it was the best way to deal with having a surfacer take over his little rebellious army and essentially been given his job of looking after The Seer.

Edenil smiled up at Valen and noticed a confused look on his face. He went to speak when she butted in, "Alright. First thing's first, lets find Deekin and Nathyrra. We'll see if they want to come along or not."

He nodded and stepped out into the hallway, motioning for her to follow.

"Thank you, by the way. For staying. It means a lot to me."

Valen was grateful his back was to her so she wouldn't see his cheeks flush with colour. How she managed to keep doing this to him was baffling. He hadn't let anyone influence him in this way since..

He winced.

"You would've done the same for me, m'lady. We should move on."

_Edenil.._


	6. Forgotten Poisons: Friend (6)

**Forgotten Poisons**

**Part 6**

The hallways she had gotten to know well felt strange and distant somehow, the hairs on her arms were standing on end. Edenil glanced at Valen who also had a look of unease on his face, his hand sitting on Devil's Bane ready to attack at any given notice.

"Something...feels different. We should be on guard." She wasn't sure whether he had seen her looking at him or not but it was reassuring to know she wasn't the only one who felt the way she did. As they walked Edenil decided to cast a group of buffing spells on both Valen and herself so if they were to be in a confrontation they'll be more than ready.

Valen breathed in deep as his strength increased, but at the same time the Demon inside of him also got a boost of mental energy. The urge to kill everything in the building almost overtook the human part of him for a split second but he quickly reigned the feelings of hate in, pushed the evil voice back to the dark depths of his mind where it belonged, and marveled at how great he was feeling from the buffing spells. There was always a chance the Demon on him would come out and take over, but today was not that day. Not now.

The next few moments went by in the blink of an eye. He heard the footsteps before Edenil had even realised Valen had maneuvered himself around her to attack from a better position, she was still chanting spells unaware that in those few minutes they would be fighting.

Valen flew toward the doorway in front of them and without hesitation pulled Devil's Bane from his belt, ready to swing. His large, emerald green flail was swung up behind his head with more strength than he was used to wielding, and forced the weapon to swing in front of him to hit their enemy clean in the head. As the flail was in motion he could barely hear Edenil cry out for him to stop, but it was too late.

Devil's Bane was flying, and Nathyrra was unprepared.

* * *

"But if we not find cure, boss might die!" Deekin was hopping from foot to foot as he watched the mage add different ingredients to his large mortar and pestle, the smell and colour of the potion changed every time he added something new to it.

"If we don't find a cure, your boss isn't the only one who might die. Who knows what this spirit plans on doing once it's done with her. I still have my suspicions about this poison.."

"We needs to find cure. Gully tell's Deekin what to do to help, Deekin can be big help! Though he not be very big."

Gulhyrs sighed. He'd looked over the dart and what little remains there was of the poison multiple times, and he couldn't understand how to reverse the in-depth process of fear that has been magically instilled upon Edenil. What intrigued him furthur was The Seer being able to hear, and sense, the being without being a target of the dart.

"Deekin never been big help to boss before, even when bad dart went for boss Deekin was too little to help. If Deekin could see bad man he would cast all his spells at him and even break lute over bad man's head!" Deekin was shrieking in anger.

"Oh, will you stop talking! I can barely think enough as it is without you shouting in my ear about nonsense! Why don't you make yourself useful and-" he trailed off, his mind racing.

Deekin had his hands over his mouth after being reprimanded by the mage not wanting to make things worse. He looked at Gulhyrs, puzzled.

"What did you just say?!" Gulhyrs barked, a slender finger pointed mere inches away from Deekin's long snout.

His eyes widened and his grip on his snout loosened, unsure whether or not this was a trap. Valen always set up little traps like this for Deekin to catch him out and make him look like a fool in front of Nathyrra and Edenil.

"Deekin says he would break lute over bad-"

"No! Before that! Quickly, quickly!"

"Deekin says how small he is and doesn't help much. He says if he could see bad man-"

"That's it! I've been going about this all wrong, looking at this from the wrong perspective. You, you little yellow lizard, you're more help than you give yourself credit for," and with that Gulhyrs pushed the mortar and pestle off of the table, it crashed to the ground along with all the ingredients he had previously pulled out of his cupboards.

He took a few books off of his shelf of material delving into illusion and slammed them on the marble table. Darting around the room he picked at ingredients he had on his different shelves, a small vile of water from the Dark River, a pink silk satchel of pixie dust, a ring of invisibility, a few other bits and pieces, and got to work.

Deekin had all been forgotten, his hands were to his side unsure what was happening.

"What be Gully doing..?"

Gulhyrs flashed the little kobold a fiendish grin.

"You'll see. _You'll see_."

* * *

Cyan eyes connected with hers in sheer horror, a flash of emerald and silver swung at her from above.

Without thinking Nathyrra's training as a Red Sister kicked in. She dropped and slid her left leg forward, balancing on her right leg as she bent backward, but she wasn't going to make it. Valen's flail was going to crush her for sure, not where he had intended it to hit her but crushing her ribs into her heart and lungs only seemed like a slower death.

Suddenly there was a halo of white around Valen and time slowed for a few seconds and then stood still, if but for a brief moment. Nathyrra knew Edenil has cast Time Stop off of the scroll she had gotten from a vampire leader's body at the beginning of their journey in the Underdark. Luckily, they never needed it against Vix'thra and she swore she'd put it to good use against the Valsharess.

_Typical. Lets use it against the tiefling instead. Selfish fa'la zatoast!_

Edenil rushed toward Valen and Nathyrra, positioned herself in-between the two and raised her hands. Green ribbons flew from her finger tips and wrapped themselves around Valen and Devil's Bane before turning to vine, encasing the two.

Time sped up.

Nathyrra crashed into the mass of tangled vines that were holding Valen and his weapon firmly in place, small streams of blood falling down some of the vines, the thorns had pierced his skin. Edenil gasped and pulled Nathyrra to safety before the vines disappeared into the ground, releasing Valen.

Devil's Bane dropped to the floor with a thud, pulling Valen flat against the floor with it. He groaned and caught his breath before looking up to see what damage he had caused.

Nathyrra was standing up with the help of Edenil. She shot a nasty look at Valen before dusting herself off and walked over to him as Edenil rushed to his side.

"What were you thinking, Valen?! I could have died!"

He shut his eyes and wished he was far away from where he was. He had nearly killed Nathyrra. Not the Demon inside him, this time it had nothing to do with that. He as a person nearly killed Nathyrra, his friend. Valen growled loudly before looking up at Nathyrra who was now crouched in front of him.

"I..I'm sorry. I heard footsteps and thought.." he hung his head, his face twisted in pain.

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Valen."

He couldn't look at her.

Before he knew it there was a hand on his cheek and a green glow began to emanate from it. He could feel Edenil's presence next to him, could smell her earthy scent as she lent in close to make sure she was healing him properly. Calm flooded his body, his cheek stung briefly before being soothed by a cool sensation, a finger stroked his cheek before the warmth of her hand left his face and trailed down his neck, healing cuts the vines had left as she found them.

She was so close to him. Without meaning to, she inched closer to look at the back of his neck to make sure she had healed all his visible cuts and breathed on his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

Valen looked away as, once again, his cheeks began to flush with a bright pink hue and he could feel the pointed tips of his ears begin to heat up. He cleared his throat and glanced at Nathyrra quickly. She merely sat there with her legs crossed, a mischievous grin played across her face, her brow raised.

"There, I think I got it all. I'm so sorry I had to use the vines to freeze you...if I had more time to think I would've used another means to halt your movements but it was the first thing that came to mind," Edenil rested against the cold wall behind her. She didn't remember casting these spells to ever make her feel so weak.

Nathyrra stood and slowly made her way over to Edenil's side, pressing her hand to her forehead. She looked at Valen who seemed to be as worried as she was and signaled to him that she was heating up again, the fever was returning.

"Edenil. Are you alright?" Valen turned to face her and took her shoulders in his hands to give her some balance.

"I'm..I'm..I don't feel right..," She trailed off and slumped into Valen's grasp.

Both Valen and Nathyrra gave each other a look. They needed to take her to see The Seer in hopes that she'd found some other way to help Edenil other than give her rest and a cold compress. She was getting worse.

Nathyrra made her way over to where Devil's Bane was lying and noticed it had cracked the floor underneath it. If it weren't for Edenil's quick thinking she would surely be dead right now. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Valen had already scooped Edenil up in his arms, her head resting on the curve of his neck. She bent down to pick the flail up and her jaw dropped. Never had she thought the weapon weighed this much, to be fair Valen hadn't ever let her touch it. All of Nathyrra's strength was required to lift Devil's Bane off of the ground, and when she went to attach it to Valen's belt he was looking at her with both brows raised and a small smile emerged from his previously worried expression.

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm coming..,"

The smile vanished.

"She can hear him again," Valen growled, "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. Lets find The Seer with haste."

* * *

**fa'la zatoast -** bastard


	7. Forgotten Poisons: Faith (7)

**Forgotten Poisons**

**Part 7**

Silver eyes were looking into his warmly, her smile gave him hope that they were going to beat the Valsharess and any other worries he had melted away. Ilmoth had the utmost respect for The Seer and enjoyed their conversations, though he would never admit his growing feelings for her. All the visions she had seen of the savior, Edenil, had come true thus far and this only strengthened his trust in her and any visions she may have in the future. If only he knew her real name.

"This is but a bump in the road, Commander, be it one that I didn't anticipate. Have faith." The Seer rested a hand on his shoulder. Her touch filled his stomach with butterflies.

"Yes, Mother Seer," he bowed and motioned for them to continue into the main hall where he could talk to his men about their updated strategies until their saviour became well.

The main hall was large and round, the same pillars that could be found in the rest of the building lined the outside of the room, the metallic grey structures glistened in the torch light. Opposite the entrance was a seat The Seer used, it too was made from the same grey metal as the pillars and had intricate gold details wrapping around the arms and down to the legs, a gold satin cover was draped over the chair for comfort and added appeal. Two rounded staircases reached up and behind the throne and framed the life-like statue of the Drow Goddess, Lolth, that had been erected at the very back of the building.

As they approached the throne she studied the men that had gathered in the main hall who were readily awaiting their new set of orders.

"Commander-"

"Ilmoth," He ducked his head, pink spread across his cheeks and he held his breath unaware of the reaction he was going to receive from their leader.

The Seer chucked quietly and nodded, "If you insist, Ilmoth...we _will_ win this battle, this war. Please, while Edenil is recovering take the time to relax and ask your men to do the same. With her army falling apart now is not the time the Valshress is likely to lead an attack against us. Use this time well," her hand was once again resting on Ilmoth's shoulder.

"Thank you, Seer. I will debrief the men and give them the opportunity to take some time for themselves to recuperate." He nodded and reluctantly stepped away from her hand, the warmth on his shoulder lingered for a brief moment.

"May Elistree watch over-"

She stopped and her smile slowly faded, her eyes turned white in an instant. Commander Ilmoth's men stopped their conversations and looked intently over to where The Seer was having another one of her visions. This one, however, was brief. Her eyes returned to their silver hue, her breathing started to steady. Something behind Ilmoth had caught her attention.

"Do not be afraid, no harm will come to you."

The Seer watched intently as the half human, half elven male approached her, his silver armour was damaged and dirtied with blood and grime and she noted a puncture through the armour and his chest.

Finally, Lucien had found someone.

* * *

The woman's voice was getting closer and with every step he took forward her words were more easily understandable, he had stopped calling for Edenil when he heard this woman's voice. She was expressing her concern for her men, wanting them to get some rest while it was assumed that an army was weakened and wouldn't take the chance attacking at this time.

Lucien turned the corner and saw a woman in a long white dress, with skin as dark as night standing next to a large chair, her eyes were white. His head hurt for a moment and subsided as the woman spoke to him, her eyes now a dull silver.

"Do not be afraid, no harm will come to you."

He took a few steps forward, aware of other voices around him, and looked at the woman with a look of confusion and panic.

"Where is Edenil?"

"There is much I must tell you. Edenil is here, and she is safe, kivvil."

His brows furrowed, the last word she used sounded a lot like the other words he had been hearing from different conversations. A lot of the conversations were in the common tongue but every now and then foreign words would be used.

"I beg your pardon, m'lady, what did you just call me?"

The woman chucked and smiled, "When she first arrived here and heard me refer to her as 'kivvil' she said the same thing," Lucien stepped closer to her.

"I am The Seer, leader of the rebellion against the Valsharess and her armies. You are in Lith My'athar, a rebel base as I mentioned, in the Underdark. We gathered all the Drow who oppose the Valsharess and her rule here to keep them safe and to wait for the saviour to aid us in her defeat. This will be hard for you to understand, but certain events have occurred and Edenil is the saviour. Kivvil, in the common tongue, means surfacer.."

Lucien's head was spinning once again. He thought that when he found someone he would be able to get answers, not more questions. At least he knew Edenil was definitely here and she was safe, or so this woman claimed.

"I need to see her."

The Seer frowned, "I'm not sure that would be wise, she is ill and needs rest."

"Ill?! I need to see her, I need to make sure she's okay," with a few short strides he was merely a meter away from her. The Seer took a step back, worry evident on her face. She still wasn't sure of this man's intentions and did not trust him. It was only then that she realised Ilmoth was talking to her and had probably been doing so for a while.

Ilmoth had stepped in front of her, his sword was drawn and he barked for his men to protect The Seer. Lucien was confused and pained, he felt as if something else was occupying the space in which he was standing, his soul felt like leaving his body. He stepped back until the sensation stopped, back to the door he had entered the room through. He gathered himself and walked up to The Seer, but as soon as he took a few steps forward the sensation occurred again and he was forced backward. He was unable to get any closer to her.

Ilmoth had his men positioned in a circle around The Seer for protection, and from what she was telling him it was working. Apparently when the man went to step closer he would merge in with one of his men trying to stand in the same space but he was unable to stay there for long.

"Do not come any closer," she pleaded, "I do not want you, or these good men, to get hurt."

Locien let out a cry and punched the wall, he could feel an anger growing in him, an anger he had never experienced before. How dare they keep him from her. If there was anyone she needed right now it was him.

His elven ears pricked up as he heard the familiar heavyily armoured footsteps enter the room from the other side of the hall accompanied by two voices he had heard before in one of the hallways. Peering around The Seer he saw a figure floating in mid-air being held by an unseen force. The Drow in the middle of the room turned around putting her back to him.

"Valen, Nathyrra. He's here and I'm not sure she's safe," she said shakily as she held a hand up to halt them.

Locien watched as the person hovering off of the ground beind The Seer was slowly lowered to the ground, long curly hair being brushed behind pointed ears. He targeted in on the person. The way the hair sat is messy waves, the curves of it's body, the clan tattoo on one of the lean legs.

His breathing halted.

"Edenil."


	8. Forgotten Poisons: Faceless (8)

**Forgotten Poisons**

Part 8

Valen had a hard time comprehending the situation, his tail was flicking side to side franticly in frustration. With Edenil lying safely at his feet he rose and surveyed his surroundings. Two dozen of his men had their swords unsheathed, a handful of men closest to him had their bows out at the ready, and in the middle of the circle they made stood The Seer with Ilmoth by her side, also ready for battle.

A groan, barely audible, came from his feet and looking down he realised Edenil was slowly waking up. Valen knelt down and brushed some of her hair behind her ear and out of her eyes, sweat was dripping down her forehead and onto the grey floor.

"Valen..." She mumbled.

"I'm here."

He took her by the shoulders and helped her sit up, using his chest to support her as she became more conscious of her surroundings. Edenil's usually fair, glowing skin was white, her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips were dry. Valen was no healer but even he knew that if she were to go on like this without being treated she would surely die, and based on how quickly she was disteriorating she wasn't going to make it through the night. He clenched his jaw.

His eyes flashed red.

"Edenil is dying, Lucien. We don't know why but somehow you are tied into it. Is there any information you have to help us - to help me - heal her?" The Seer's voice was low and calm, but Valen could hear the sadness underlying her words.

A low growl escaped his throat. The thought of a potential enemy in their mists, let along this very room, made his blood boil. How could he let this happen? He was to protect The Seer, and if it weren't for Ilmoth and his men being in the right place at the right time who knows what this thing, this _Locien_, would have done to her.

_She would be dead. You would have failed her, just as you failed __**her**__. Grimash't was trying to do what was best for you and all you needed to do was let me take over and __**she**_ _would have lived. You were weak and your weakness __**will**_ _kill The Seer.. and Edenil._

Hands were on his shoulders and someone was looking into his eyes with compassion. The Demon retreated and he slowly took control of his thoughts and body again. A wave of ease rushed over him like a cool wave, The Seer's silver eyes looked relieved.

Valen immediately looked away, ashamed, and locked with yet another pair of eyes. These eyes were weary and held an intense sadness, yet at the same time harboured a deep longing for him to be well. In the time it took for the Demon to take control Edenil had gained enough strength to crouch down next to him while being supported by Nathyrra.

Edenil took Nathyrra's arm and used it to help herself up. Before she was fully standing she started to speak, her voice was raspy.

"Please, Ilmoth, I'd like to see who's been calling out for me over the past few days.." She caught a flash of silver on the other side of the room.

Ilmoth looked at The Seer who was still tending to Valen and, after having a silent conversation with her, sighed and nodded his head, "Be aware that only The Seer has been able to see him this far. If anything happens I can't guarantee we'll be able to help," and with the warning he and his men split in the middle to allow her passage to the other side of the room.

* * *

It felt like she was in a dream. Her mind raced, logic dictated that this was not possible yet her heart knew he was real. She knew the Paladin standing in front of her, his pointed ears, his dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, the crest of Torm on his armoured shoulder, the way his left eye was green and his right was blue, the scar across his top lip, the look of sheer horror on his face. On Locien's face.

Eternity seemed to pass as they just stared at each other, saying not a word. Edenil hadn't even realised she was walking toward him until she noticed drawn swords on either side of her, and without hesitation Locien moved toward her and cupped her face with his hand.

She looked up and found his worried eyes looking her over, pain evident on his face.

"What..," Locien's voice trailed off as he tried to hold back tears. Seeing her like this was killing him.

Edenil coughed and drew a short breath. "How is this possible? How are you here? This isn't..how?"

His brows furrowed and he shook his head.

"As far as I'm aware I'm in the Underdark surrounded by all these voices and I am unable to see who they belong to, and there's a Valshereen-"

"Valsharess," she corrected and chuckled.

A smile played across his lips, "Ah. That does sound much better. It was mentioned that you were here as the saviour, the one that would defeat this Queen. Did the Lich King that we were at war against get defeated and this _Valsharess_ took over?"

Edenil frowned, sweat dripped from her hair.

"No...the Valsharess did not take over the Lich King's army. With the help of a powerful mage we defeated him. Our...our home was saved. Do you not remember what happened?"

He looked at her for a long while. Memories were coming back to him.

"His army had us surrounded, the undead were everywhere. We didn't have time to drive them back and were forced to stay and defend ourselves as we evacuated the women and children through the forest." He paused and drew a deep breath, the memories were becoming increasingly graphic. "You and I, we were cut off on all sides. I...remember smoke and the smell of burning flesh." Edenil shuddered and closed her eyes. The memories, the smells, were fresh in her mind.

"One of the Knights of Torm saw us and said he was going to put some of the fire out so we could retreat and follow the others into the forest. The undead were closing in and behind some of the smaller ones there was a champion of sorts. I took the smaller ones out without any difficulty but struggled with the champion. I've never been good fighting against an opponent that used enchanted weapons against me."

Locien paused and looked at Edenil in confusion.

"Wait. Why were you not helping me fight? I remember you being there right next to me the entire time but you weren't fighting."

Tears rolled down her face.

He tried to remember specific details from that day. He woke up with his wife sleeping next to him, snoring softly like she always did while in deep sleep. He remembered getting out of bed, careful not to wake her, and made her a breakfast full of nutrients. She needed to keep her strength up, especially since she was sick almost every morning. Later on in the day he was to go on a patrol while she stayed home and had her female friends and family over to bare gifts and congratulate her.

"They attacked while you were having... the baby shower." His hands rose and rested on Edenil's stomach.

"I got to you as fast as you could but instead of evacuating with your family you stayed with me. The champion was going to kill you but I...I intercepted the strike." He looked down at the hole in his armour.

Locien looked at Edenil who was uncontrollably sobbing, he was utterly mortified.

"Wh-what happened to our child?!"

"I'm so sorry!" Edenil dropped to the floor, her head in her hands. "After you died I became ill and lost the baby. I'm so sorry.."

Without hesitation she was pulled up by her wrists. Locien's face was merely inches from hers as he spoke, hatrid laced his words, "Are you telling me I gave my life to save you, only to have you fail as a mother?!" He barely regstered the loud roar from the other side of the room, or The Seer demanding him to stop and calm down, but he was beyond calming. Anger and a deep desire to see Edenil's lifeless body in his arms fueled his actions.

He grabbed her throat and lifted her off of the ground, finding satisfaction as her face slowly turned blue, his skeletal fingers squeezed and her breathing became more shallow. In a matter of minutes she would be dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Much to his surprise one of the large main doors flew open and a little kobold scrambled toward him. There was nothing this inferior creature could do to him, a powerful King of the dead.

"Booooooss! Holds on!"

Deekin tripped and the flask he was holding flew across the room, hitting the statue of Lolth right in the head. A white fog seeped onto the ground and slowly began to fill the room covering everything in it's path. Two glowing orbs, one green and one blue, could now be seen floating at eye height in the middle of the room just in front of Edenil. As the fog began to dissepate the men closest to her were flung away with a quick flick of Locien's wrist, and the other men stepped back as they took in the sight before them.

Blonde hair was lying in clumps on the floor around him along with flesh, some of his hair was still attached to his head where the skin had not yet slid off of his skull. His face, for the most part, had completely dissolved revealing his skull and what little muscle he still had on his face.

Edenil was sure she was having a nightmare. This was not her late husband but a cruel trick that played on her fears, and now her greatest fear was a reality as the Lich King laughed in her face.

The last thing she remembered before slipping away was the sound of bones breaking and an evil, yet familiar, voice whisper in her ear as she fell to the ground, and vibrant eyes.

"It's about time he let me play!"

Vibrant red eyes.


End file.
